Most Loving Lord, as human beings, we are focused on beginning a family, raising children to be respectful, obedient, and responsible and living out our lives with a loving, supportive spouse. More often than not, we forget that we are part of a larger family. That larger family of God includes all of us who have committed our lives to You. What I have come to realize is that we are all in the same family because we have the same Father. He has promised to love and bless every member of that family. To receive His blessings, I must build my relationship with fellow Believers. If I choose to go it alone, I cut myself off from many of the benefits He intended me to have. This is why I bow down before Him and seek to engage meaningfully with my Brothers and Sisters. My personal obedience is more important to Him than my family tree. For He has commanded us all to love one another.
As a Believer, I must become an imitator of You and begin to live a life of love. In the same way that a child imitates its earthly parents, I should be a willing to be an imitator of You. So, I must be willing to bear the burdens of those in my big family. This requires loving others unconditionally like You love me. You said in Your Word that all things are common to all men. This tells me that based on all the things I have been through it should make me empathetic with the suffering and struggles of others in my big family. In the same way that You ministered kindness and understanding to those coming to You in need, I have been called to love, encourage and be diligent to fulfill the promises I make to others. You expect me to be long-suffering and patient toward Believers. Your recognition does not stem from my earthly accomplishments, rather how I go about loving and serving others.
To become a useful part of my big family, I must learn to love fellow Believers as much as I love myself. It does not mean giving up who I am, rather stepping up to the high calling You have place on my life. I must learn how to be responsive to the needs of others and help them through the struggles and circumstances they are facing. I must strive to build up others instead of tearing them down or neglecting them. In all things I should fulfill my calling to be You for them. This opportunity, like every other in my life, needs Your guidance and instruction. Your priorities must become mine … like loving unconditionally. It sometimes means that I must admit to needing help and allowing others to fulfill their calling of unconditional love. We are brought together and bound together by Your love. Help me build-up Your Kingdom by loving my big family as You do. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
I John 4:7 So beloved, let us love one another for love is of God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.